1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to separation methods, and more particularly to a method of separating and ejecting a re-entry body from a missile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many previous separating mechanisms explosive energy has been used for simultaneously disconnecting and moving one section of a multistage rocket or missile relative to another section. The connecting structures between sections have been designed so that the rapidly expanding gases from the explosion which severs the two sections acts in a direction to also separate them, such as by driving a piston. Explosive devices can leave sharp, irregular edges which create a turbulent flow condition around a re-entry body which affects its speed and motion, and also can produce an undesirable tumbling motion, "tip-off", due to the unpredictability of the effects of the rapidly expanding gases, rather than a smooth, straight line motion.
Numerous mechanical devices have been used to provide the thrust to separate two sections, such as compression springs, spinning weights, and even magnets. And application of reverse thrust by the discarded section has also been used.
However, for a re-entry body it is also desirable to provide spin stabilization so that the re-entry body maintains its ballistic trajectory during the turbulence associated with re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. Mechanical devices operating at an angle, such as compression springs, have been used to impart both separation thrust and spin. But the usual technique is to spin stabilize the last stage before separation by the use of spin rockets attached circumferentially to the last stage with a thrust force tangential to the radius of the stage.